When the Divine Feminine instructed Sue Patton Thoele to "pour water on my women," Thoele set about writing a book to provide women with spiritual sustenance for every area of their lives. The Woman's Book of Spirit is the result of that journey.

A leader in the women's spirituality movement, Thoele offers her deepest wisdom in this collection, resulting in a powerful and profound book that can be used in a number of ways. Thoele recommends using it as a sacred feminine oracle by opening it at random, holding it to your heart and "asking your inner wisdom to guide you to the perfect, right entry for you at this moment." It can also be used as a meditation guide, a daily friend, or to answer a specific question.

This is a book to soothe every woman's soul and to strengthen the vital connection to spirit. Chapters include Embodying Heart Energy, Intertwining Soul-Strands, Awakening to Wisdom, and Ascending to Gratitude.

In the chapter Nourishing Our Souls, we learn to be our own lamp, participate in even exchanges of energy with friends, and send guilt down the drain.

Excerpt:

Nourishing Our Souls
It is only when we can believe that we are creating the soul that life has any meaning, but when we can believe it—and I do and always have—then there is nothing we do that is without meaning and nothing that we suffer that does not hold the seed of creation in it.
—May Sarton

WE EACH SEEK UNITY OF BODY, mind, and spirit. As fundamentally spiritual beings living increasingly fragmented lives, we—even if we’re not consciously aware of it—yearn to join the essentially complementary aspects of our being and integrate them into a balanced whole. I believe this yearning comes from deep within our souls as a memory of our life-purpose, which is that of achieving union between woman, who is finite, and spirit, which is infinite.

In order to have reconciliation of our human and spirit selves, both must be nourished and nurtured, befriended and given a voice. It is through the cleansed window of our humanity that our souls shine and become ever more visible. Because our humanity is loud and insistent while our spirit is quiet and patient, in the short run it’s easier to “hop to” the worldly, physical demands and slight the whispers emanating from our spiritual selves. But, eventually, most of us, motivated by either a burning desire or an intermittent malaise, turn our attention to our souls and begin to heed their wisdom.

Daring to Breathe

DARING TO BREATHE IS ACTUALLY DARING TO live. As we all know, when we cease breathing, we die. As long as we are alive, the depth of our breathing determines the amount of life force we bring into ourselves. Given only a stingy amount of oxygen, our bodies, hearts, and minds will not function well.

When we are experiencing stress of any kind, our breathing has a tendency to get very shallow. As a therapist, I often need to remind my clients to breathe when they are working on issues. Often deeper breathing brings a release of tears and tension. I was grateful the other day to notice a one-word bumper sticker: BREATHE, it prompted.

Breathe is a reminder we need to give ourselves regularly. Breathing deeply brings more energy into our bodies, which, in turn, helps clarify both our thoughts and feelings.

Daring to breathe nourishes our souls as well. Almost all creation myths have God making man/woman from the soil of the earth and animating him/ her by breathing into his/her nostrils the "breath of life." It’s no wonder then that the words soul and spirit originated from anima and spiritus, both of which mean "breath." Through the grace of God, we breathe, and it is the breath of God that we breathe. I find it very comforting to believe that God is as near to me as my next breath.

For the next five minutes, give yourself the life- enhancing gift of intentional breathing. With eyes closed, breathe deeply in through your nose, taking the breath of God—down, down into the center of your belly. Exhale completely through your mouth. As you inhale, imagine pure energy flowing in to nourish body and soul. As you exhale, let go of all that you would like to release.

If you get nothing else from The Woman’s Book of Spirit, I encourage you to make a commitment to breathe deeply five minutes a day—perhaps right before you get up or go to sleep. I think you’ll be surprised and pleased at the profound changes that can occur from this one thing. Dare to do it!

IT FEEDS OUR SPIRITS TO HAVE SPECIAL places where Gaia, Mother Nature, can infuse us with her renewing energy. For me, it’s the beach. While there, thoughts recede and worries abate. I could almost hang an UNOCCUPIED sign on my mind or stamp NOT AT THIS ADDRESS on my physical self. Even though I may not feel as if I’ve thought of a thing, as a result of being by the water, questions are often answered and decisions clarified. It’s as if I’ve been mesmerized out of my own way, thereby freeing my spirit to do its wiser work.

Not all the insights that come up are peaches and cream. At the ocean, Gaia invites me to experience and release difficult feelings, especially grief—not as a headtrip, but rather at a more primal, accepting the natural cycle of things way. Joy comes similarly. It’s as if my soul gently surfs the waves and the movement quiets my human self. No matter what I feel or don’t feel, I return from a time at the beach revived and rejuvenated. For me, a trip to the ocean is a trip to the eternal spring within myself.

Consider for a moment where your soul rests most easily. Where do you feel infinitely safe and return from replenished? What place in Mother Nature allows you to most readily hear the intuitive wisdom of your heart and seamlessly heal from searing wounds? It can be as exotic as a Polynesian beach or as accessible as your backyard. Even if you’ve only been to your special place once, you can always return in your imagination. If you don’t have a sacred space in nature, be on the lookout for one and, until you find it, create one in your mind’s eye.

Take a few quiet moments now to allow Gaia to nourish your soul. Imagine yourself in a gracefilled place and, as free of thought as possible, absorb the soothing energy. Breathe, relax, bask in nature’s blessing.
I allow Gaia to soothe my soul.

Thank you, Mother Nature, for your blessings.

Being Our Own Lamp

AS HE WAS DYING, THE BUDDHA SAID, "Be a lamp unto yourself." I think he was challenging us to become aware of our spiritual essence, to read ourselves by our own light, to follow the path that resonates with our own hearts and minds right here, right now. As we recognize own unique light, we can choose to shine it on the people and places that need illuminating. For the good of the world, as well as our own personal good, it’s vital that we tip over the proverbial bushel and become aware of the beautiful and distinctive light we have been given to share.

Settle yourself into a comfortable place and position and allow your breath to deepen naturally. With each breath, any tension that you are feeling begins to wane, drifting lazily and effortlessly out of your body as you exhale. The more you relax, the more you sink into the darkness behind your eyelids— a safe, embracing, womblike darkness wrapping around you like a soft comforter.

Stay here, safe and warm in the velvety darkness, as long as you like. At the right time for you, notice, in the distance, a small pinpoint of light. Gently and leisurely move toward the faint glow. Coming closer, you see that the light is emanating from an exquisite lamp resting atop a lamp stand. If you don’t like the lamp that you see, allow it to fade and be replaced by one that feels right to you. Realizing that the lamp is a symbol of your unique inner light brought forth by your wise subconscious, ask it to share its wisdom with you.

Listen carefully.

By the light of many lamps, much can be illuminated.

I am my own best light.
I share my love and light.

Reting in the Cradle of Friendship

IN ORDER FOR HER SPIRIT TO SOAR, A WOMAN needs the sense of security that close friendships provide. We need to be known and accepted for who we are and, at the same time, gently encouraged to become who we have the potential to be. When the soft feathers of friendship cradle our weary heads, we rest more easily and arise refreshed and ready to grow.

Ruth and Anne have been dear friends for almost twenty years. Although now separated by miles, they are committed to remaining united by fax, phone, and visits. Why is their connection so important to them? Because they truly know each other. Even though secrets and shame have been shared as readily as silliness and successes, their love and delight in each other continues to mature and ripen as they do.

"Sometimes I’m just starved to talk to and be with someone who knows me as well as I know them," Ruth once told Anne. She was voicing a common yearning in women. Being feminine, our ability to really know others often comes fairly naturally. It is one of our gifts, but a gift that we need to receive as well as give. We, too, need to be known. Being truly known and accepted, as is, can nourish our soul to new heights.

Right now, give yourself the gift of thinking about the special friendships that nourish you. Do you see or talk to these people enough to feel nourished? If you feel the lack of such trusted friendship, creatively play with what you can do to reach out and meet new people. It’s perfectly okay to make a plan. Perhaps write a list of friends whom you would like to connect with more regularly and decide how to do so. Pencil them in and then follow through. You can make another plan for fostering new connections.

You will feel better when you fill the need to nourish yourself with the "soul food" of friendship.

I have a right to be known and accepted as I truly am.

I give myself the gift of friendship.

Culling Complications, Welcoming Simplicity

WE ARE CONTINUALLY SEDUCED BY SOCIETY and our own need to do more, earn more, and spend more into continuously complicating our lives. Although some highpowered activity is stimulating, even fun, and sometimes necessary, too much is numbing and debilitating. The price many of us pay for an overcomplicated existence is poor health, loss of serenity, fractured relationships, and an unspoken lament of, "Is this all there is?"

As a result of hard work and business acumen, the company Sarah and her husband started in their garage grew beyond their wildest imaginings. With the growth, Sarah’s responsibilities increased, her private time all but ceased, and she had no opportunity for relaxation. She assured herself and friends that she was going to slow down—right after this next trip, the coming ad campaign, or ad infinitum It wasn’t until she woke up one morning in excruciating pain, her shoulders and arms immobile, that Sarah realized she had to make changes. She simply couldn’t “shoulder” all the responsibilities she was carrying. Complication was literally crippling her.

Sarah still works more than is totally comfortable, but she is also learning to delegate, set priorities, and simplify. She hired some help, turned down some projects, and pruned some acquaintances who were energy drains. Her life now includes solitude, gardening, time for friends and family, a regular meditation group, and daily exercise, all of which nourish her soul. With great love and respect for yourself, gently but with absolute—and maybe lifesaving— honesty, examine your life. Is it too complicated to be comfortable? If so, where can you simplify? What small step can you take today to welcome simplicity into your days and serenity into your nights?

A simpler life is frequently a more satisfying life.

I take responsibility for simplifying my life.
I am able to cull out complications.

Quieting the Mind

IT IS IN THE SILENCE OF A QUIET MIND THAT our spirits make themselves known to us. In the tranquility of a calm mind, we become aware of the murmurs of our soul and learn to appreciate the wisdom of our hearts. Indra Devi, author of Renewing Your Life Through Yoga, beautifully describes the quiet mind: "Like water, which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. A ghost of wind—and the rippling waters will distort the reflection; a storm— and the reflection disappears altogether."

We are living in stormy times in which winds blow wildly across the waters of our minds and can all but obliterate our spiritual essence. But I know from personal experience that we can quiet both the storms and our minds. When I was younger, giant tsunamis regularly whipped the waters of my mind into a frenzy, rendering me deaf to my conscious wisdom, let alone the wisdom of my heart and soul. Although storms still ruffle my waters, remembering to breathe deeply and doing the following meditation helps the tempest to subside.

Close your eyes and gently allow your breath to deepen. Breathe in the idea of serenity and peace, and breathe out chaos and confusion. In your mind’s eye, imagine a pond or lake that symbolizes your mind. Without judgment, notice how calm or turbulent it is and observe it for a minute. Ask your wise inner knowing what you can learn from this disturbance, and quietly listen. It doesn’t matter if you "hear" an answer, trust that you will be made aware when the time is right. Now, breathe into your heart and, very deliberately, still the wind across the water. Breathe deeply until the lake is tranquil. Look at your reflection and thank yourself for calming the storm.